Reviews

October 31, 2014

Dear Joe,

Thank you for this thoughtful and memorable video/slideshow. It is a kind and wonderful gesture that is a reflection of YOU and the Joe that I have come to admire and adore. Your are the definition of a true gentleman!

J. (bride) and B.’s (groom) Wedding was an extraordinary feast of musical delights. The Celebration Strings set the tone for an entire evening of CELEBRATION. They entertained our guests with a new and modern spirit with respect timeless tradition. The strings allowed all present to be embraced spiritually by the intimacy and importance of the Ceremony in the breathtaking Colony Club Loggia.

Upon entering the Cocktail Hour, YOU were a sight and sound of pure joy playing your acoustical guitar! It was a seamless transition that encouraged our guests to enter another handsome and majestical space, made warm and exciting by your musical welcome. Magically the strings floated into place and mesmerized our family and friends with varied interpretations of current and past jazz standards. Many were in awe of the musical abilities and professionalism of the Celebration Strings. Little did our guests know that “The best was yet to come”!!!!!!

SIR JOE BONACCI, the band you assembled for the Dinner Dance in the Colony Club Ballroom was exceptionally sensational!!!!!! Each band member, individually, was spectacular in their talent, appearance and showmanship, BUT as an ensemble, under your direction, they were “off the charts”!!!!!!! Every song and composition surpassed it’s original artist. Your musicians made each number their own which, encouraging every guest to wish for more and more and more!!!! J. and B.’s first dance was touching, professional and outstanding because of your musical backdrop!!! Cliff and J. tugged at every heartstring during the Father/Daughter Dance because of your magic! The depth and breath of your band’s musical abilities was astounding. We are very grateful for the non-stop music during every aspect of the evening. It created a rare and relished ambiance. Please share the names and emails of your talented band members, so that I may thank them each personally for their inspiring creativity and dedication. The gorgeous girls were beautifully poised and effervescent. The master lead male singer captivated the attention every guest-I fell in love with my surprise trombone and trumpet players!!!!! The band made the party on every level-“Signed, Sealed, Delivered”!!!!!!!!!

J. and B’s Wedding Celebration was contagiously energetic, understatedly elegant, and uniquely everlasting because of YOU AND YOUR MUSICAL COLLABORATIONS! You were in tune with every nuance of the crowd. Our guests NEVER wanted to leave the dance floor!!!! Joe, we shared a special and cherished friendship, when we met several years, ago. Your talent soared to new heights on the evening of J. and B.’s Wedding because you truly gave from your heart and soul, surpassing anything we could have ever imagined for the Wedding. I will treasure your loyalty and friendship always. There will never be another Wedding like J. and B.’s because of your supreme efforts and endless generosity!

Fondly,
L

Joe,

I just have to say– you guys were UNBELIEVABLE. From the first second of the party, everyone was up on their feet and having the most AMAZINGGGG time. Every single member of your band is incredible. I really have not stopped hearing rave reviews about you guys. Everyone had the BEST time. I don’t have enough to say. You guys CRUSHED IT. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m sure I’ll be seeing you guys at my friends’ weddings in the near future 🙂

PS. your trombone player is BEYOND amazing

A

Joe,

You have no idea how many people have told me how insane you guys were. Beyond anything anyone has ever seen. People who have already booked other bands for their upcoming weddings are regretting it, and one friend even asked me if she could hire your trombone player to join her band for the night (I said no). He was really beyond. Every single member of your team was phenomenal. I cannot gush enough.

My wedding was 8 months ago and I am still receiving: Phone calls, texts, emails etc. from family and friends on how amazing our band was. My husband comes from a huge family where 100s of weddings have been attended and EVERYONE has said this was BY FAR THE BEST BAND they have ever heard. Our friends can’t wait to get engaged and married to use them and I can’t wait to have kids and have their bar/bat mitzvahs and use them. We are THAT OBSESSED! Their music was unlike anything I have ever heard before. True professionals. It was unbelievable, no difference from the real artist, AND they mixed songs together. The classic rock strings was superior to anything myself, or our guests have ever heard. I could continue raving forever. Every wedding is unforgettable but Center Stage Orchestras ( Formerly Manhattan Swing) takes it to another level. Really keep yourselves and your guests talking and use them!

I studied music in college so finding the right wedding band was very important to me. I wanted a professional group that could play music to appeal to multiple generations. I was so happy we found Center Stage. They kept the party going and really knew what would keep our guests on the dance floor. The singers were incredible. Everyone was dancing all night long – the dance floor was packed. Center Stage was a truly exceptional band. Not only did they deliver an amazing show, but they are true professionals. They were flexible and accommodating when I asked to sing a song with them for my husband during the reception. They learned the song I wanted to sing and made me sound great! My husband was so surprised! 🙂

I couldn’t have been happier with my choice of Manhattan Swing as the band for my wedding. The band is arguably one of THE most important parts of making a wedding fun, your guests happy, and the party going. Joe Bonacci is really easy to work with – he’s so accomodating and super talented – we had a complicated first dance plan and it was no problem for the band to learn the song and follow us along. Because he does literally everything, it was no problem for him and his band to jump from Bossa Nova during the cocktail hour, to every single type of genre during the reception (motown, standards, salsa, top 40) I also submitted a list of favorite songs before the big day and luckily the band was better at feeling my crowd out because although I had requested a lot of standards, it wasn’t what they wanted! So the band accomodated super fast and played more motown, more top songs, etc; music I wouldn’t have picked on my own but that everyone loved and danced to all night. They engage with the crowd, get everyone moving, all in all they’re fabulous. If you are considering hiring them, I have to throw a special shout out to their Barry White guy, who is just AMAZING. They have individuals you can add to your band if you’re looking for a particular genre of music and the crowd was so wowed by him. Plus, we had a DJ come at the end of the night and continue with us to our afterparty. Joe set us up with the DJ who spun the best mix of songs and was also incredibly fun to work with. It was an unforgettable night, due in large part to the music.

I wanted to thank you for a great evening of music and entertainment. Everyone had the beat time. And we have received many compliments about you, and especially the singers. The guests thought the band was amazing. You really had the place moving.

“Outstanding, Incredible, Amazing, the best orchestra we’ve ever heard”…these accolades and more, represent the rave reviews from everyone at the wedding. Thank you for making our party such a success. You and your fellow musicians are masters at your trade. With passion, precision and enthusiasm, you presented a perfect musical mix that was enjoyed by one and all. We loved it!

Thank you for a fabulous evening of music at our wedding. The music was diverse, full of something for everyone and kept the energy high and the dance floor packed! We heard so many compliments about the band-thank you!

My wife and I wanted to thank you for making our wedding experience that much more enjoyable and exciting. This was the second time I had the pleasure of partying with Manhattan Swing! We gave simple parameters and you guys delivered above and beyond…we thank you for making the best day of our lives that much more special and memorable.

I wanted to thank you and the band for an incredible performance at our wedding. From the jazz trio at the cocktail hour to the quartet at dinner to the orchestra for dancing, all made the evening magical. We were so pleased with all of the musicians. They were fun, personable and got the crowd moving. We also appreciate the high level of service leading up to the wedding, we truly enjoyed working with you and hope to do so again in the future.

Thank you so much for making our wedding celebration so special. It was a wonderful night & EVERYONE had a great time…we received many compliments on the band! Prim did a super job getting guests on the dance floor and keeping the energy up. We truly appreciate all your efforts with the pre-wedding details and with making it a successful party. Thanks again for the fantastic performance.

Hi Joe, I have just returned from my honeymoon and wanted to give you and the band a HUGE thanks for making my wedding the most wonderful experience. We have had nothing but tremendous praise for the band and their magnificent singing and playing. My friend wrote to tell me: ”The band was fierce:-). Oh my goodness, it is the best live band I ever heard in my entire life. wow, and then the wanna be Barry White, he was off the charts :-):-). They had it together. I couldn’t stop talking about your wedding.” Thank you thank you thank you for your willingness to play songs outside of typical repetoire and for all your hard work in preparing to learn the songs on time. You did a fabulous job – everything was seemless! People raved about the “Hallelujah I Love You So” song and my personal favorite was the touching solo performance by “Barry” – I felt like I was being serenaded! At the moment, his song escapes me, but it was out of this world! A million thanks! K and D (Boathouse wedding, Sept. 22)